If you need any more convincing to get on a treadmill to lose weight, a 2008 study may be just what you need.

According to the American Physiological Society in a news release dated December 11, 2008, running on a treadmill is better than weight training for suppressing appetite. The findings were published online in the American Journal of Physiology - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology.

A study at Loughborough University in England had 11 male students participate in three types of exercise. In one, they ran for 60 minutes on a treadmill and then rested for 7. In another, they did 90 minutes of weight training and then rested for 6.5 hours. A third group of students did no exercise. The participants in each group each ate 2 meals during a session and reported their hunger levels. The researchers measured the participants' levels of two appetite hormones: ghrelin (a stimulant of appetite) and peptide YY (a suppressant of appetite).

During the treadmill workout, ghrelin levels dropped and peptide YY levels increased, indicating that the hormones were suppressing appetite. During the weight training workout, ghrelin levels decreased, but there was no significant change in peptide YY levels. The appetite hormone effects of both types of exercise lasted for a few hours. The researchers concluded that both types of exercise suppressed hunger, but treadmill exercise resulted in greater suppression.

"The finding that hunger is suppressed during and immediately after vigorous treadmill running is consistent with previous studies indicating that strenuous aerobic exercise transiently suppresses appetite," said researcher David Stensel. "The findings suggest a similar, although slightly attenuated response, for weight-lifting exercise." He said this line of research may lead to more effective ways to use exercise to help control weight.